Seeing Is Believing
by Keruseyu32691
Summary: Inuyasha loses one of the most important aspects of himself one night while protecting the ones he loves, but can he cope with its loss? On his life's journey, he must find himself and trust those who depended on him to now help protect him. In order to move forward, you sometimes have to be pushed back.
1. Sight

OoO SIB: Chapter 1: Sight OoO

"Inuyasha? Don't you think we should find a place to stop? It's starting to get dark, and we're in unknown territory," Kagome said quietly and gently so as not to irritate the already irritated hanyou she was walking behind. She also _really _did not want to wake up the sleeping kit in her arms, especially since it was pretty late into the night.

She cradled Shippo's tiny body close to her chest, walking as smoothly as she could. The poor kid; he'd played so hard that day that the second he was able to sit down and rest a moment, he was out like a light in no time flat! He also supplied a good amount of warmth for her. The nights were steadily getting colder, and a short school skirt and shirt weren't exactly the best attire to be walking around in.

Rolling her shoulders to relieve a chill she got, she sighed quietly as Inuyasha's back muscles tensed slightly in annoyance and readied herself to be buffeted.

"Keh, shut up, wench. I've got eyes, I can see that it's getting dark."

"But Inuyasha, we're all tired, and since we're not familiar with this area, I think it'd be best to stop for now-!" She bit her lip to cut herself off as he whipped around, a scowl marring the handsome face she adored so much.

"I told you to be quiet! Damn it, get off my back, woman! We'll stop in another hour or so, ok?" He said sardonically, turning away from her again and walking even faster than he had been.

Silently, Kagome fumed and fell behind to walk instead with Sango, Miroku and Kilala.

_Why the hell does he have to be so stubborn? Sure, tomorrow's the night of the new moon, and yeah, his senses are already dulling, but does he have to be such a jackass? If S__hippo wasn't sleeping in my arms, I'd sit him till there was no tomorrow and demand we stop, and then demand an apology that I deserve for calling me wench!_ But alas, she was the bigger person, and literally walked away.

Luckily, they were on a well-worn path that appeared to be frequently used; otherswise, the sky was so obscured by dark, heavy clouds that navigation would've been impossible. On this night, the world seem darker than it should be. Had it not been for Inuyasha's red kimono and silver hair, she very much doubted they'd be able to navigate the unfamiliar terrain in any sensible way. They were tracking Naraku, and Inuyasha seemed hell-bent on finding and killing him before tomorrow night when the New Moon arrived.

Kagome audibly sighed, trying not to roll her eyes. _Yeah, like that will happen; we'll be too tired from tonight to be able to do anything but stare stupidly at Naraku like a bunch of zombies. Easy pickins for sure._

"You want me to knock some sense into him?" Sango whispered, hefting Hiraikotsu in a suggesting manner, trying to be quiet enough so she wouldn't wake up Kilala, who was curled up against the curvature of her toned stomach. The only sound that could be heard besides their walking was Miroku's golden staff rings, lightly jingling in the all-too-quiet night.

Kagome seriously contemplated this idea, causing twin grins from Sango and Miroku, but then shook her head. "Nah, he's not worth it. I just hope we don't get attacked. Inuyasha and Kilala would be the only ones who'd be able to fight halfway decent in such bad lighting, you know? That's the last thing we need right now."

"Ah, but fear not, ladies, for I will protect you!" Miroku intervened gallantly, throwing an arm around Sango's shoulder in a poor attempt to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, they were all dead tired from walking all day.

"Ugh, I'd rather take my chances seducing Sesshoumaru!" Sango hissed, mindful that being quiet was indeed important when traveling at night in dangerous land. She did, however, fail to swat his arm from her shoulder.

Kagome couldn't help the giggle that escaped her throat, imagining Sango throwing herself at Sesshoumaru's feet in hopes that he would get weak in the knees and fall victim to her charms.

Miroku looked horrified at the suggestion. "Sango, you should know by now that I'm the only man for you! Who else can do this to you," he fingers deftly stroked the side of her clothed breast, "and still live to keep doing it?"

"_Pervert!"_

**SLAP!**

"It's worth, it's always worth it…"

Kilala simply mewed quietly, since she'd been woken up, and jumped down to walk beside her mistress. She appeared to almost smile in amusement as Sango marched past Miroku, her nose in the air.

Kagome was openly laughing now, as quietly as she could, of course, and stepped over the fallen figure that was her friend, Miroku.

Even in the darkness, she was positive Sango was blushing furiously.

"Would you people knock it off? God, my ears are gonna fall off listening to your idiotic, annoying babble!" Inuyasha growled, hands over his ears.

"Oh, lighten up, Inuyasha," Kagome said lightly. "Don't be such a meanie!"

Suddenly, Kagome felt her heart skip a beat, and then a tugging sensation behind her made her turn around.

"Listen here, bitch, I-!"

"Inuyasha, there's a jewel shard, coming right at us!" Kagome interrupted him off, clutching Shippo closer to her. Miraculously, the child was still sleeping, even through all the noise.

"Fuck! Kagome, get out of sight, quick!" Inuyasha commanded, unsheathing Tetsusaiga and getting into his battle stance.

She did as she was told, to her own chagrin, and watched as Kilala transformed in a blaze of fire and Sango brought Hiraikotsu in front of her. Miroku, miraculously, was perfectly fine from his near death experience with Sango's infamous slaps, and took a defensive stance beside her, his staff at the ready.

In no time at all, a huge scorpion demon smashed through the defenseless trees in its way, and upon seeing the group with a large portion of the Shikon Jewel somewhere nearby, made a low groaning sound and dashed toward them.

"Kilala!" Sango cried, jumping onto her now transformed pet with Miroku behind her. She readied Hiraikotsu and was about to throw the large weapon when a red blur obscured her sight. "Inuyasha!" Sango gasped, gripping her weapon so she wouldn't throw it and hurt Inuyasha.

"Leave it to me, Sango! It's aura is so weak, there's no need for everyone to waste their energy," Inuyasha growled, swinging his sword downward and cutting off at least two hairy legs with Tetsusaiga.

The creature roared in anger and pain, dark amethyst blood sloshing onto Inuyasha arm. It immediately began to sizzle, and Inuyasha yelled, "Careful! It's blood is acidic!"

"Got it!" Sango cried back, throwing Hiraikotsu at a safe enough distance away to be safe, lopping off three more legs and spraying more disgusting purple blood everywhere.

The scorpion roared in anguishagain and fell to the ground, unable to move with only one leg.

Landing, Inuyasha smirked. "That was too easy. What a pathetic excuse for a demon." He walked toward the defenseless demon and raised Tetsusaiga to do the finishing blow when movement toward the back of the demon's body made him gasp.

"Kagome, where's the damn shard?!" Inuyasha yelled as he jumped backwards, away from the scorpion demon that tried stabbing him with its stinger as a last resort. Apparently, the demon wasn't as defenseless as he'd first thought.

Standing up, Kagome concentrated a moment before replying, "It's in his gut, toward the beginning of his tail!" She looked down at Shippo, who was now somewhat awake and lethargically watching the scene.

And then, within the blink of an eye, the scorpion demon sensed the aura of the jewel shards around Kagome's neck due to her sudden appearance and spun around so that it was looking straight at her.

Before another heartbeat could pass, Inuyasha's instincts screamed at him, begged for him, to protect Kagome and Shippo, no matter what the cost. He only had that one heartbeat's worth of time to react, but just as the scorpion shot the deadliest shade of green liquid poison out of its mouth at Kagome, Inuyasha was in front of her a millisecond before he was doused from the waist up with the deadly substance.

Kagome threw Shippo to the side just in time to catch Inuyasha as he smashed into her. They both flew backward, and Kagome heard Sango and Miroku cry out in unison.

Sango quickly and effortlessly chopped the scorpion's head off while it was distracted, and Miroku used the Wind Tunnel to suck up the various parts of the scorpion's body that didn't contain the jewel shard, ignoring the fact that the scorpion was almost completely poison. He then threw a subduing sūtra onto what was left of the scorpion to keep it from moving or attacking, and then turned his attention on Sango. She was helping a dazed Shippo gather his bearings after being unceremoniously thrown to the ground. Finally, he let his gaze wander over to Kagome and Inuyasha, feeling his gut clench in foreboding. Whatever came out of the scorpion's mouth could not possibly be good.

Kagome coughed and slowly sat up, trying to catch her breath from having it knocked out of her when Inuyasha flew into her. "Inuyasha?" She rasped, pushing up on his back and sitting completely up, twisting around so she could hold him in her lap and arms. Looking down at his face, she gasped, her mouth hanging open in stunned silence.

His face was terribly scarred and oozing blood. His ears were torn and frayed, even singed around the edges. She could feel his breath come in short pants, and could hear the way his throat convulsed each time he breathed in. What worried her, though, were his eyes. His face wouldn't scar; he'd had worse injuries and they hadn't left so much as a scratch on his perfect skin, but his eyes… Something wasn't right.

"K-Kag…Kagome… Save… Kagome…" He whispered hoarsely, opening his eyes and seeing a blurred face above him. He couldn't see her very well, but he knew it was his Kagome. God, even at a time like this, she was beautiful. But why was she crying? He tried lifting his hand to comfort her but only made it halfway before pain made him drop it again. Kagome, however, saw this and grabbed his hand, bringing it up and cradled it with hers to her face.

"You…ok…?" He managed to ask before his vision began going black. Kagome's beautiful face was fading, and he faintly heard everyone gather around him and Kagome. He blinked again, but could only see an intense, pure white light, surrounded by a rainbow of colors.

_What's going...on?_

The last thing he heard before passing out into oblivion was Kagome's voice, brokenly screaming his name.

"_INUYASHA!"_

OoO

Please review and I hoped you liked it! Thank you. Be sure to check out my other stories!

Keruseyu32691


	2. Awakening

OoO SIB: Chapter 1: Awakening OoO

"Kagome, you need to get some rest," Sango gently admonished, laying her hand on Kagome's tense shoulder.

Kagome seemed not to have heard or felt her. She just continued gazing intently at Inuyasha's sleeping face, kneeling next to him and willing him to open his beautiful amber eyes. She needed to see his eyes, to know that he was ok. He could even yell at her for being so stupid as to stand up like an idiot and expose herself to the demon. As long as he was all right.

"Kagome…" Sango sighed, shaking her head sadly, bowing her head and moving away.

The poor girl. She nearly gave them all a heart attack when she screamed bloody murder last night. Yeah, Inuyasha had looked bad, but he was a half demon, and his injuries were only flesh wounds. He'd heal. Kagome, however, apparently didn't think so. She had clutched at his unconscious body and absolutely would not let go. She hadn't eaten or slept any since then, either, and Sango was beginning to worry for her health; they'd all been tired before, but getting attacked last night had utterly exhausted them, and to boot, the night of the new moon was of all nights, tonight, and quickly coming.

Kagome's hair was in total disarray. Her clothes were a little muddy from falling onto the ground, and in some places, there was some of Inuyasha's blood. Her lip was bleeding, too, from nibbling at it in her absent-mindedness.

And now, it was mid-afternoon. The sky was cloudy, and the trees made it shadier and colder than it normally should have been. Yesterday, it'd been a little chilly, but not unbearable. Today, however, it was downright freezing. There was a sharp, clean chill to the air, one that almost took the breath right out of your lungs. The wind didn't help this at all, either. Already, Miroku and Kilala had left to go and get kindling and logs for a fire, and with night approaching, it wasn't going to get any warmer.

As if hearing Sango's thoughts, they appeared and watched as Sango tried to pry Kagome away from Inuyasha again so she could at the very least warm herself up. Poor little Shippo looked miserable, too. His mother figure was ignoring him, and even though he knew it was because she was worried about his father figure, he still was upset that she didn't comfort him as well. He was worried about Inuyasha, too, you know!

"Miroku, could you hand me that extra blanket?" Sango asked as she stood up, sighing in defeat.

"Of course," he replied.

Walking over, he gave the blanket to Sango, letting his hand touch hers in a calming gesture. Startled, she looked in his eyes and saw that he was worried about his friends, but also about her. She smiled encouragingly, as if to comfort him back. She then draped the blanket around Kagome's unmoving shoulders, tucking it around her shoulders and under her folded, bare legs to keep her a little warmer.

"Thank you, Sango," Kagome quietly acknowledged.

All Sango did was nod in understanding.

Rotating her neck to relieve a kink, she walked back over with Miroku and sat next to him. For a long while, no one said anything. All that was heard was the every now and then crackle of the wood in the fire, or a silent, depressed sigh from Kagome.

It didn't last long.

Unable to stand it anymore, Shippo hopped over to Kagome and crawled onto her lap, curling up and hugging her stomach. Startled, she looked down and saw that Shippo was gazing up at her with sadness and hope shining in his adorable emerald eyes. She blinked, and then gave him a tiny smile and caressed his hair.

"Hey Shippo. You cold?" She asked, stroking his brilliant red hair.

He shook his head. "Not really. I just wanted to see you. You're not acting like yourself, Kagome."

She looked away, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry. It's just… I'm worried about Inuyasha."

"You don't have to be, Kagome. He's the strongest demon in the world, nothing can harm him!" Shippo declared firmly, sitting up and puffing out his chest. "He'll wake up soon, and then see how upset and worried you are, and then yell at you for worrying over nothing!" And then as an afterthought, he added, "And then he'll probably beat me after I yell at him for making you worry!"

She smiled for the first time since Inuyasha passed out. "Yeah, I can see him now! 'Wench, quit your babbling! I'm fine, and always will be, remember that! Keh, you idiot! You think a weak waste of bones like _that_ could harm me? No way! And you, you twerp,'" She tickled her kit, "'shut your yap!'" She mimicked. Her smile vanished, but her eyes still shone with amusement. "You're right, Shippo, thank you."

"Keh, don't worry about it," He gruffly replied as he looked away.

Kagome's heart skipped a beat, and she grinned. He sounded so much like Inuyasha, and it was adorable! _He must be rubbing off on him._

From his position across from them, Miroku could hear Kagome and Shippo talking, and he was relieved. At least now she was focusing on something else other than Inuyasha's condition, if only for a little bit. He looked at Sango and saw that she was feeling about how he was, too: exhausted and worried, but glad Kagome wasn't doting on Inuyasha any longer.

However, he still couldn't forget the way he'd felt when he looked at Inuyasha's body last night. His gut had clenched, and he had had the ominous feeling that something was terribly wrong, and he had the sneaking suspicion that Kagome had felt the exact same way, which was why she was worrying so much. Just how virulent was that liquid, and what was it's purpose? The scorpion's blood had been acidic, but the crap it shot out of its mouth hadn't really eaten away Inuyasha's facial skin. The cuts that were bleeding had already been there. Did that mean that it was another type of attack, or was there something more to it?

_Well, in any case, we won't know anything for sure until Inuyasha wakes up, which will more than likely be soon; no way would he stay unconscious on the night of the new moon. Hell, the only reason we're this far North in the first place was because Kagome had sensed a whole bunch of jewel shards traveling this way. Damn you to Hell, Naraku, for putting us in this predicament!_

As if on cue, Kagome squealed and Shippo cried out, "See, Kagome?! I told you!"

"Inuyasha!" She happily cried, jumping up and dancing with Shippo.

Standing, both Sango and Miroku ran around the welcoming fire and kneeled down across from Kagome, looking down at Inuyasha, who'd just coughed and was now scrunching his face up as if in pain.

"Inuyasha, you're awake!" Kagome cried, bending down to hug him.

**Ba-dump!**

_Something's wrong…_

Kagome abruptly stopped before she'd even touched him, holding him at arms length, staring intently at his face as he sat up, his head still bent. He had yet to open his eyes. Her priestess powers had just spiked throughout her body, and a great sense of foreboding was permeating her senses.

Miroku watched with growing unease; although much weaker than Kagome's, his own spiritual powers were making him uneasy. Why wasn't he opening his eyes? Why was he being so silent? Why didn't he do or say anything?

Inuyasha cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes with a clawed hand. "What the hell…" he mumbled groggily. The last thing he remembered was seeing the scorpion about to shoot some bad looking shit at his woman and kit and rushing to block the attack. After that, nothing.

Going rigid, he asked, "Kagome? Where's Kagome?"

Frowning, Kagome smiled uncertainly. "Inuyasha-"

His head swiveled in her direction and he opened his eyes.

"—I'm…right here, don't you see me?"

Kagome's heart leapt up into her throat. He was looking right at her, but something was wrong, missing. He was looking…through her, as if he didn't see her. His eyes were almost completely blank. Only a small sparkle was left, it seemed. Kagome felt her heart rate increase, and her breathing become almost labored.

_Oh, please, no! Don't do this to him!_

What the fuck was going on? Her voice was right in front of him, but all he saw was a disfigured, bright, almost blinding white blur. If it weren't for his nose telling him that Kagome was only a foot away from his face, he wouldn't have known she was even there.

Alarm bells went off inside Miroku's head. _What's wrong__? Why are you acting like th__at? Come on, now, stop __messing around..._

Sango gasped quietly, putting a shocked hand up to her mouth. _This can't be; it's impossible! No way in hell is he-!_

"Kagome, what's wrong with Inuyasha?" Shippo asked, looking at the shocked faces of everyone around him. He couldn't understand why everyone had such a horrified and stunned look on his or her face; Inuyasha was awake, and things were going to go back to normal now. Why were they acting so weird?

Kagome opened and closed her mouth, then opened it again. "Shippo, why don't you go and…and color me a pretty picture, ok? We need to talk about grown up stuff for a while."

Ok, now he knew something was wrong. However, he was an obedient child, and since he loved Kagome so much, he obeyed her wishes and reluctantly left the comfort of her lap to go color that picture at a respectable distance away, giving the adults plenty of privacy. And if he happened to hear anything because of his demonic ears, well, that was his problem!

Inuyasha blinked his eyes a few times and looked around. Everything was so…_black_. When he heard Sango gasp, he glanced in her direction and was surprised when he saw two more blurs, one a deep pink color, the other almost blending in with the black because it was such a dark purple.

His eyes widened. _Those aren't Sango and Miroku…are they?_

When Kagome told Shippo to get lost, Inuyasha turned the other way and saw a small, dark orange blur glide away until it eventually disappeared. _Holy shit! And that's Shippo! What the fuck is going on?_

"Kagome, what happened? Why can't I see you guys very clearly? And what the hell happened after I lost consciousness?"

"Oh, Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. She was about to respond when Inuyasha suddenly sucked in his breath and scowled.

He felt his claws detract into his fingers, his fangs shrink back to human length, and the proud, noble blood of his father seep out of his body. As this happened, the blurs began fading into the blackness that surrounded them, until only the brightest one was left. Even then, though, this blur was beginning to fade.

Kagome saw him begin his transformation and looked up. There was no moon, and the sun had just dipped below the tree line. Where had the time gone? It was nighttime already?

When she returned her gaze to Inuyasha, she watched, transfixed. His eyes were the last to change, and when the gold faded away into violet, the light went completely out, like someone had blown out a candle.

Finally, the brightest blur was gone; everything around him was dark. And now that his nose and ears were just about completely useless to him, the only other senses that seemed to be working all right were his taste and sense of feel and touch. He was too shocked to say anything, but he raised a hand and gently cupped Kagome's cheek, if only to know that she was still there with him.

She closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks and onto Inuyasha's hand as she grasped his hand next to her face.

_Well, isn't this peachy?_ Inuyasha bitterly thought. _I'm fucking blind._

OoO

Duh-dh-DUUUN!

Sorry, I just felt that was appropriate there! Anyway, please review, even if you didn't like it, more to come soon hopefully.

Don't forget to check out my one-shots and my other ongoing story, CCTI. Thank you!

Keruseyu32691


	3. Fight

OoO SIB: Chapter 3: Fight OoO

Kagome helped Inuyasha get up, making sure he could stand on his feet before letting go of his arm.

He hobbled a moment, but steadied himself and tried to gather his bearings.

Kagome watched helplessly, wanting to do more to help him, but not knowing how to do so.

_How can he be blind? It's impossible; nothing can hurt him that much, nothing!_ She shook her head, wiped away her tears, and glared adamantly at an unseen foe. _I swear __I'll find a way to give you back your sight, Inuyasha! I promise._

"Hey, Inuyasha, what're you doing?" Shippo asked, seeing him look around as if not seeing anything. When Inuyasha looked in the wrong direction for him, Shippo laughed. "Oi, I'm over here, dummy!"

Before Shippo could begin laughing again, Kagome barked, "Shippo, knock it off!"

All at once, his eyes got huge, watery and cute, and he squeaked out, "K-Kagome, why are you being so m-m-m-mean?"

Her face relaxed and her eyes grew more gentle, but she replied sternly, "Inuyasha's unable to see right now, Shippo, and even though I love you dearly, I'm not going to let you poke fun at poor Inuyasha."

Suddenly, Inuyasha blindly grabbed Kagome's arm and rasped, "Bitch, I don't need your fucking sympathy! I can handle myself, and if you think I'm going to let you baby 'poor little me', than think again!"

Kagome's eyes grew large in shock. _Inuyasha, you're hurting me…_

Roughly, he threw her arm to the side and stalked in the general direction of the woods.

Unfortunately, he smacked right into a tree.

_Man, being human sucks! I don't even have my damn nose to help me!_

"Shit!" He cursed angrily, feeling his way around the tree and continuing on.

"Inuyasha-!" Sango began, reaching out to stop his progress.

"Shut the fuck up, all of you! Just leave me alone!" Inuyasha cut her off before he broke into a stumbled run into the forest. He clumsily disappeared.

Kagome by this time had sunk to her knees, holding her arm limply and watching as he disappeared into the darkness. Worry was etched onto her face. _That idiot! He's blind! What if another demon attacks him while he's still human? He could be killed!_

Quickly, she stood up and ran after him, ignoring Sango and Shippo, who called after her to stay near camp.

Sango bit her lip, wishing Miroku hadn't gone to get firewood right as Inuyasha had woken up; she needed his warmth beside her right now.

Every now and then, Kagome would have to duck or jump over a tree branch or root. If she was having this much trouble navigating her way through the forest with her sight, she couldn't help but worry about how Inuyasha was fairing now that he was human and blind.

_Inuyasha, please, let us help you! You're not alone anymore, so don't be so reclusive. Let me share your pain. Let me in…_

Her train of thought was abruptly shut off as she connected with a solid wall of soft, but unyielding, masculine chest. She flew backward and landed hard on her posterior end, knocking her head against a tree. Instead of crying at how unfortunate she was feeling, she laughed.

_Could this day _possibly _get any better?_

"Kagome! I'm sorry, are you all right?" Miroku worriedly asked. He hastily dropped the wood sticks and logs he's been carrying above his head and knelt down next to her. Immediately, he noticed her freshly bruised arm, and that her face and exposed arms and legs were covered with scratches, probably from running through the woods. His eyes narrowed, knowing who was the most likely to give her that bruise, but decided not to comment for now.

"What're you doing out here, Kagome? There are a lot of demons lurking around, and you didn't even bring protection!" He admonished, seeing her hands void of a bow and arrows.

_Honestly, how does this girl survive in her time?_

"Oh, I guess I didn't even think to grab them; Inuyasha woke up and ran off in here somewhere! You haven't seen him, have you?" Kagome asked, looking hopeful.

"Nope, sorry. But I'll tell you what. When I get back to camp and unload these logs, I'll send Kilala back to help you find Inuyasha; I'll be sure to send your weapons along with her, too."

"Thank you, Miroku. I need to get going again; I'm really scared for him," She stood up and dusted herself off, shivering as a freezing wind tore through her.

Before she could get too far away from him, Miroku cried out, "Be careful Kagome! Come back safe!"

"Yeah!" She yelled back, never slowing down or looking behind her.

She was panting now, her chest heaving and lungs burning. Her legs felt wobbly, and her arms ached. How long had she been running? Ten minutes? Twenty?

_Oh, if he's blind, why can't I see him yet?! There's no way he got so far ahead of me already, right?_

As if to answer her thoughts, she heard a gruff voice distantly growl out, "Fucking tree!"

Kagome couldn't help but grin, even under the circumstances, and was about to call out to him when she decided against it.

_If he knows I'm this close to him, he'll start running away again. I'd better wait until I can get a hold of him._

Luckily, she didn't have to play secret spy in order to sneak up on him; with his dulled senses, she easily got behind him and jumped onto his back, causing the both of them to land on the ground.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha cried out from his position underneath Kagome, who was sitting on his back.

"Got you!" Kagome cried out with forced cheerfulness, to maybe pacify his very foul mood, and then scowled, putting her fists on her hips. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you idiot?! There are demons everywhere in this forest, it's freezing outside, and you're human!" She chastised.

"Why'd you leave, anyway, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, now looking hurt as she got off of him. "What if something happened to you? I was really worried, you jerk!"

Inuyasha scoffed and stood up. "Like I give a shit. I told you I don't need any sympathy from no one, least of all you, so just get the hell back to camp and leave me the fuck alone!"

Kagome stood up as well and faced him. Like hell was she was going to lay down and take him talking to her like that! Wench, she could handle. The colorful curses he spewed when he was sat, she could handle. But the way he was talking to her now, she absolutely would not put up with. She didn't deserve it, especially when she was only trying to help.

"Stop it, Inuyasha! You're acting so childish right now! I know that my usefulness only goes as far as finding your precious jewel shards because your equally precious Kikyo protected it, but that gives you no right, no right at all to treat me like this! All I'm trying to do is help you, what's so wrong with that?"

"Everything, you dumb bitch! I don't need your sympathy, or anyone else's! You have no idea what it's like to grow up with people scorning your very existence, hating you and always trying to kill you for what you are, never for who you are! The last time I opened up to anyone was Kikyo, and you see how wonderful that turned out!"

Kagome paled. To say she was hurt was an understatement. "But haven't you realized yet, Inuyasha, that I'm not Kikyo?" She asked in a voice just above a whisper, yet loud enough for him to hear her. "What have I ever done to show that I would ever betray you, ever hate you, ever leave you? Inuyasha, I choose each and every single day to stay with you and the others, and not just because I feel obligated to. I do it because I care about everyone here, and don't want to see them hurt…like you are now…"

She was so close to tears, but she refused to cry, even though she knew she could probably conceal it pretty easily from Inuyasha in his current state.

However, since he couldn't see how badly she was hurting, Inuyasha only grunted, crossed his arms, and turned away from her. "Well, that's your choice. I ain't asking you to stay. You can leave anytime you want. And besides," he continued ruthlessly, "isn't it your fault I'm like this? If you had just stayed down and out of sight like I'd told you to, none of this would've happened!"

All at once, Kagome's resolve to not cry broke, his words cutting deep into her heart where she knew the truth lurked. She began to tremble, trying to be quiet so Inuyasha wouldn't make fun of her for being so weak.

_He's right! I'm so useless in a fight… If I hadn't been standing there, in plain striking sight in front of a deadly, foreign demon, then maybe Inuyasha wouldn't have felt obligated to protect me. I'm so stupid!_

Tears were now trailing delicately down her face, and she now had to physically fight to not gasp and sob out loud. She actually bit the back of her hand just to stifle the sound.

_Inuyasha, it's my fault you lost your sight, and I'm __sorry! I gladly would have taken the blow! You're stronger and__ more useful, why'd you protect me?_

"I…I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. I wish it had been me instead of you," Kagome said, keeping her voice as steady as she could. As long as he didn't know she was crying, everything would be ok.

"Oh, come off it! Don't turn this into a goddamn guilt trip, Kagome! There's nothing we can do about it now, so don't go pulling that shit on me."

Well, so much for Kagome's plight in not showing him she was crying.

"You bastard! You insensitive prick! You dumb ASSHOLE!" Kagome fired angrily, so mad, she was trembling and could even feel her body temperature increase.

Inuyasha opened his eyes, as pointless as it was, and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline; Kagome never spoke or swore like this, and he only now understood that he had pushed her too far.

Her voice kept breaking up, and her breathing was erratic, but she forged ahead in what she wanted to tell him. "I'm not trying to make this into a 'guilt trip', as you so distinctly put it. I said I was sorry because I really do wish it'd been me and not you! I care about you so much, it hurts! It hurts bad, so bad, I wish I could go back and tell my retarded past self to stay down like you'd told me! But you're right, it can't be changed, so I don't know why I'm even bothering wasting my breath!"

Sniffling, Kagome was unable to continue speaking, so she wrapped her arms around her shoulders for warmth and continued to shudder from both the cold and her anger.

Across from her, Inuyasha was floored. Suddenly, he wished he could've stopped himself from saying everything he'd just said. Sure, he was a little sore about losing his ability to see, but that didn't give him an excuse to take out his frustration on anyone, least of all Kagome. And he'd made her cry, which was the worst; he hated it when she cried!

"Kagome, I-!"

"No! This time, Inuyasha, it's you who should just shut up and leave me alone! Kilala will be back soon to pick you up, so stay here. I'm heading back to camp now, and when you get there too, don't try to talk to me!" Kagome screamed as she shakily got back to her feet and ran past him, just barely brushing the sleeve of his arm.

As quickly as he could, Inuyasha reached out and tried to catch her so that he could tell her he was sorry, but his hand touched nothing but air. He heard her footsteps become distant, until he couldn't hear them anymore.

Kagome had left him.

OoO

Kind of a short chapter, but you shall be rewarded with a super long chapter next time!

Please, please, please review! They motivate me to update faster and work harder.

Check out my other stories as well! Thank you to everyone who likes my stories!

Keruseyu32691


	4. Chastisement

OoO SIB: Chapter 4: Chastisement OoO

For many beats, Inuyasha just stood there, his arm still outstretched in the direction Kagome had run away from him. He was too stunned to move.

How could he have let probably his only good chance at apologizing slip, quite literally, through his fingers? And the fact that he was blind and couldn't see shit didn't help at all. In all honesty, he was almost afraid, though he'd never admit it, even to himself. It was the first time in his life that he was so vulnerable, unable to completely see. Even newborn demons had more defenses than he did right now, especially since he was a simple mortal man for the next several hours.

Finally, he sighed and put his arm down, glowering at what he imagined was grass; that's what it felt like beneath his feet at least. Bending down, he groped his way around. Abruptly, his head thunked against a hard, unyielding object, one to which he'd grown quite accustomed to. Growling, he murmured, "Goddamn it!" and sat down at the base of what used to be his favorite natural thing in the world. Like hell was he going to try and climb it, but at least he could rest against it.

_Where the hell is that damn Kilala?_ He thought, already growing impatient with waiting. _Why the hell should I have to wait, anyway? God, this is so demeaning!_

"Well, Inuyasha, I must say, I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite so pathetic in my life. I think if you pout anymore you're going to get a chicken on your lip."

Standing up as quickly as he'd gotten comfortable, Inuyasha tried sensing where Miroku's voice had come from.

"I'm up here," Miroku said. He was on top of Kilala, floating a few feet above and in front of Inuyasha. She descended and in a blaze of fire, transformed into her kitten form and promptly walked away, leaving Miroku to stand in front of his friend.

Even though he was seeing Inuyasha blink rapidly, trying to see him, Miroku still could not believe that his proud, arrogant male companion had lost his sight, even if it was for a good reason. If Inuyasha, a half demon, was rendered blind, he could only begin to imagine what that liquid would have done to Kagome's delicate features if it had been her to be sprayed with it, as it'd been intended.

However, that shouldn't suggest he was very happy to see Inuyasha. If anything, this was justice in the most ironic form. The one in the group to always pride himself for being better because his nose was more advanced, his reflexes and muscles more developed, and his eyes much more sharp, was now the one who had to rely on others because he would be the one to hinder progress. And on top of that, he couldn't forgive him for giving Kagome that bruise; Kagome was like a little sister to him, and he'd be damned if he forgave Inuyasha that easily, handicap or not. Surely nothing she said or did to him would have called for such brutal behavior, anyway.

But, he couldn't very well say that out loud, now, could he? Not only would it be cruel, but he didn't have all the facts. If there was one thing Miroku was excellent at - groping aside - it was how to analyze any situation and try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, no matter what the reputation.

And so, he lackadaisically walked up to his friend and lightly touched his shoulder, smiling. Even though Inuyasha could no longer see it didn't mean that he couldn't sense when someone wasn't being real with him.

"Ah, here you are! I noticed Kagome walking back toward camp, so we dropped her arrows off to her and came to get you at her request," Miroku said, smile still plastered on his face as he watched Inuyasha's expression.

_He knows I've seen Kagome when she's upset, so why isn't he acting up yet? Want to play it that way, then, do you? Fine, but be warned, my friend, that you're up against the Master Manipulator himself!_

He allowed himself to grin evilly before quickly changing it back into an easygoing, friendly grin. "Ok, Inuyasha. I think it's time for you and I to have a little chat, man to man, of course. Please, sit-"

He watched Inuyasha flinch at his most favorite word.

"—down and let's get started, shall we?"

"Keh, the hell you talking about, lech? There ain't nothing _we_ need to discuss at all."

Now, Miroku was stone-faced and almost glaring at Inuyasha with something akin to loathing and impatience. Honestly, why does this job always seem to fall to him?

"Oh, but I think there is," He replied, abruptly pushing Inuyasha to the ground.

"What the hell, monk!?" Inuyasha growled nastily, but didn't stand. What would be the point? The sadistic bastard would only shove him back down again anyway, and he knew that Miroku knew this as well.

_When I get my sight back, I'll-!_ And then, a frightening thought occurred to him. _What if I never get it back?_

Miroku sat down beside Inuyasha, crossing his arms as he did so. "You can be a real prick when the occasion calls for it, you know that?"

Inuyasha scowled. _Miroku usually never swears unless he's angry… _"What the hell do you know, bastard? I don't even know why you're doing this; are you _trying _to pick a fight?"

"Yes, Inuyasha, I am. I want to know right now what bug crawled up your ass and is making you act stupid. I, for one, am not dumb, and demand to know why you're not only treating us like crap, but taking most of it out on Kagome, the one who's the most worried about you."

For a long moment, Miroku waited, listening to the night sounds. Crickets chirping, leaves rustling, animals scurrying, and the wind blowing through the trees. Very calming, or at least it would've been if it hadn't been so damn cold. Now that he thought about it, despite the cold, Kagome had appeared quite rosy-cheeked, even for someone who'd been running through a forest.

_I hope she's not getting ill…_

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Inuyasha finally said, breaking through Miroku's reverie. "I know I probably shouldn't have yelled at Kagome, or said half the stuff I did, but is it really so much to ask for a little solitude, to think and be alone for a while? She shouldn't have followed me, anyway. Doesn't she know it's dangerous out here?"

_Ditto to you, my moronic companion._

"And don't you think that maybe since you're human and the most defenseless out of all of us that we would be worried about how you might fair out here, on unknown territory, against any demon you could encounter? You're a very easy target, now that you're blind."

Miroku watched Inuyasha flinch again, but held steady. He knew he was being harsh, but in the case of Inuyasha, he knew only the cold truth would slap him awake.

"Oh, don't worry, I've only just begun with you. I haven't even brought up the nice black, purple and blue bruise you gave Kagome."

Inuyasha was quiet a moment. "She's got a bruise?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes widening and eerily seeing right through Miroku, making him shiver.

"Yes, she does. Even in your human form, you're the strongest man I know, and you only have to barely touch her fragile skin to leave a mark on it; you of all people should know that. And yet, despite how you've treated her and are still, she came out here, unarmed, I might add, to find you. She cares about you so damn much, Inuyasha, though only the Gods above know why. I can understand you wanting to be alone, simply because I've been alone most of my life as well, but is it so bad that Kagome wants to share your pain? And not just her, but all of us. You're not alone anymore, Inuyasha, and I think it's high time you find that out. One of these days, you're going to realize how important having someone to lean on is. I just hope that when that time happens, you haven't pushed _her _away to the point of no return."

All poor Inuyasha could do was gape. That's it. He couldn't talk, and had he wanted to, he couldn't move. Everything Miroku had said was more or less the truth, and he knew it. Most of it was common sense, anyway. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but the fact that the son of a bitch was right didn't make him feel any better. What really got him, though, was Kagome. Could she really care about him so much? Dare he even dream it? And if that's true, had he lost her now because of how he'd spoken to her? Sure they'd had a lot of fights, but this last one was particularly foul.

He rubbed his head, hating the way he knew he looked: helpless. "I…I don't know what you want me to say, Miroku."

He sighed. "I don't really want you to say anything. I just want you to be aware of what you're constantly putting on the line every time you act like a jackass. I know how you are, but Kagome knows even better than I do. The only problem, Inuyasha, is that she can only understand as much as you're willing to let her. You need to just accept the fact that your eyesight is gone. Maybe for forever, maybe not. Whatever the fates decide, you have to deal with it no matter what, so why not make it easier on all of us and just accept things as they are?"

He stood up. "And apologizing to Kagome wouldn't be a bad start, either. When I ran into her, she was really upset, though I have to say, that girl can hide it well. Too well, in my personal opinion, but that's just me."

Miroku suddenly smiled. "Ah, I feel so much better now that I've said what I wanted to say! Let's head back now, alright? I can't feel my legs or ears anymore!"

As if to stipulate this, the wind howled and whipped itself around them, tiny prickles of coldness stabbing their exposed skin.

"Yeah…" Inuyasha replied absently, seeming to not even feel the wind. He suddenly felt drained, sapped of whatever energy he'd had left. All the different emotions were really taking a toll on him. Damn, how he hated being human. Morning couldn't come fast enough.

They both stood up and Kilala, who'd been curled up for warmth nearby, came out and allowed them to hop onto her back. The three of them took off and headed back to camp.

**MEANWHILE, BACK AT CAMP…**

"Kagome! How'd it go?" Sango asked when she saw Kagome walk tiredly back toward the campfire.

She looked up and gave a weak smile. "Fine, fine. I'm just glad Inuyasha's ok. I see Miroku went with Kilala, though. Where's Shippo?"

"He's sleeping in your bag already. He was so tired, he didn't even eat anything."

"I don't think I will, either. I'm not really hungry tonight. Go ahead and give my share to Inuyasha, would you?"

Sango nodded, though she didn't agree; she just knew the look in Kagome's eyes. "Of course, Kagome. Sleep well."

Kagome hardly looked back at Sango. She slowly made her way to her surrogate child and sleeping bag and practically fell down onto it, covering up and snuggling with the fox child. She was asleep almost immediately.

Sango just watched. Now it was her turn to worry, though not so much about Inuyasha as for Kagome. She was acting a little funny, and Sango knew it had to've been because of Inuyasha. But, being the good friend she is, Sango didn't pry, and wouldn't, until Kagome wanted to tell her.

After a while, Sango heard Kilala growl softly, and then saw Miroku and Inuyasha quietly come into view. She immediately noticed that Inuyasha was mellow and almost sedated, Miroku not being much different. Boy, did she hate being left out of the loop. Just what the heck happened out there in the woods?

"Hi there, Sango. Kagome make it back?" Miroku asked.

"Yes. She's already in bed, though. I'm kind of worried about her; she didn't eat. She told me to give her share to you," she pointed at Inuyasha, and then realizing he couldn't see, added, "I mean Inuyasha."

Miroku frowned. "I see. I think I'll follow her example and settle down for the night as well, after I eat your delicious meal, of course!" He added, seeing Sango's crestfallen face.

She smiled gratefully, then chanced a glance at the half demon gone human. He sat down at a nearby tree, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep. She looked to Miroku, but he only mouthed the words 'later' to her before eating his share of the meal.

She'd already eaten hers, so instead of brooding on what happened between her friends, she went to bed as well.

Miroku followed her example after banking the fire, leaving the fake-sleeping Inuyasha to himself.

For the life of him, he couldn't get to sleep, which was normal on nights of the new moon, but they usually weren't of depressed thoughts of Kagome. He wanted so much to go and watch her sleep, to see her angelic face in serene, innocent slumber, imaging what she could be dreaming and if he shared any part of it.

With a start, he sat up in surprise. It only now, at that very moment, occurred to him exactly why he was in such a sniff about not being able to see.

It wasn't the fact that he was blind.

It wasn't the fact he was about as useful as a pit bull with no teeth.

Hell, it wasn't even the fact that he was now even more of a disgrace to demons and humans alike.

What really pissed him off and saddened him the most was the plain and simple fact that he'd never be able to look and see Kagome again. To see her emotions laid out like an open book, to watch her and anticipate what her next move might be, to enjoy how easily he could read her every thought it seemed.

He couldn't _see_ Kagome anymore.

OoO

Yep, another chapter down. Sorry for the delay; I was also working on updating my other ongoing story, CCTI; check it out if you have time, along with my awesome one-shots!

Thank you for the reviews; they keep me in the mood to update quicker! Please review!

Keruseyu32691


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